Happy Birthday, Hannah Moore!

For at least the past ten years I’ve written a letter to our daughter, Hannah Moore, on her birthday. That letter has always been between the two of us. But since she is one year beyond being an adult, I think it’s time to share this letter in my blog. Why not let the world see the terrific qualities of Hannah Louise Moore!

Hannah, nineteen years ago today you were born at 10:38am at Rochester Methodist Hospital. You were nine days overdue. Your mom and I wondered if you were ever going to come. On the 15^th, a Friday, we went to a choir party at Peace Congregational Church where Amy often played the flute. At that time in our life we were a three-church family—that church, Pax Christi Catholic church, and Community Presbyterian in Plainview. While we were at the party, your mom’s body let her know that it was time to go to the hospital. When we came home from the party, your mom immediately—vacuumed.  She knew that we would have company over, and she didn’t trust me to get the house ready.    

We went to Rochester Methodist hospital that night.  The next morning you arrived. I can still see the doctor holding you up. The thought that came to my mind was, “she’s here; she’s finally here.” I’ll take with me to my grave the picture that is on this blog.

Last night your mom and I watched “The Sound of Music,” She watched that movie in Methodist Hospital on the Sunday after you were born.

Recently when baptisms were celebrated at Chain of Lakes, I shared the story of your baptism.  One of the hardest decisions your mom and I had to make was the location of your baptism.  As you know she is as Catholic as I’m Presbyterian.  When we met and got married, our faith was a source of unity.  We were both committed to both churches.  I attended Mass on Saturday afternoons and she attended worship at Community Presbyterian in Plainview on Sunday mornings.  We were willing with joy to get into each other’s denominational cars.  At our wedding we had a Catholic sister sing and another Catholic sister share the Scripture.  My sister, a Presbyterian pastor preached, and the service was held at First Presbyterian Church in Rochester.  That wasn’t hard to figure out. 

           

But choosing the location of your baptism was very hard.  Your mom wanted you to be baptized in a Catholic church, and I wanted you to be baptized in a Presbyterian church.  You can only be baptized in one place.  It’s not like we could have you baptized in the Catholic church on Saturday and then go to the Presbyterian church on Sunday for another baptism.  We had to be creative.  So I approached the local Catholic priest in Plainview and asked him if he would officiate the baptism in a Presbyterian service of worship.  And you know what he said?  Yes.  Thank God for Father Don Connelly!  He officiated your baptism in a very liturgical Catholic way at a Presbyterian worship service in May 2001. 

           

People have asked me often if you were baptized Catholic or Presbyterian?  Of course, I tell them we don’t have a denominational baptism.  You’re not baptized Catholic or baptized Presbyterian.  You’re baptized Christian—in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

This past year has been so fabulous for you. You graduated from high school, we celebrated your graduation at a terrific party, the three of us went to Glacier National Park to decompress, you started at Hamline, and have already set down roots for a fabulous college career. You have a terrific roommate, and a terrific job, and terrific classes and terrific friends. You’re singing in the choir, and your mom & I love attending your concerts. The theme for Hamline so far is terrific!

Now if I could just get you to root for Carleton when the Knights play the Pipers in football.

And you have a new guy in your life. He’s a good guy—just tell him to wear shoes when he plays basketball.

Hannah—the greatest joy that your mom & I have is to be your parent. And this year I’m willing to share this joy in a public way.  Happy Birthday!

No biblical case for a woman preacher? Read more ...

I usually don’t follow the arguments that take place in the Evangelical world even though I identify myself as an Evangelical. But I couldn’t help but notice the kerfuffle last week about the comments John MacArthur shared at a “Truth Matters” conference.  I listened to much of an audio recording of his remarks.  When asked to respond in a pithy statement to the words, “Beth Moore” he said “go home.”

I found this comment offensive and sexist.  His next comment prompted this blog.  He went on to criticize women preachers calling it unbiblical.  He said, “There is no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher. Period

No biblical case for a women preacher?

Hmm.

When Hannah discovered she was pregnant after initially suffering from infertility, she shared a prayer to God in 1 Samuel 2.  Her prayer was included in the Bible and has influenced millions of people about faith, prayer, and the nature of God. Her prayer has inspired me many times during my own faith journey.  Thanks for preaching, Hannah!

When Jesus was raised, the first person he met was Mary Magdalene. He told Mary to go and tell the disciples what she had seen.  “Mary went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that [Jesus] had said these things to her.” (John 20:18) The fact that Jesus entrusted Mary Magdalene with the message of his resurrection is enough biblical justification for female preachers.  Thanks for preaching, Mary Magdalene!

When Mary the mother of Jesus visited her aunt Elizabeth, baby Jesus leaped in her womb. Mary shared a song of praise that has been heard by billions of people in churches.  Her song of praise has been an inspiration for many—including me. (Luke 1:46-56) Thanks for preaching, Mary!

After Jesus met a woman from Samaria at a well at noon the woman went to her own village.  “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’”  (John 4:39)  That testimony—which is one definition of preaching—brought many people to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Thanks for preaching, Samaritan woman!

I’ve read the scant few Scriptures that those who don’t believe in woman’s ordination share as a case against women preachers.  One is from 1 Timothy 2:11-12. When Paul wrote that Scripture he was not making a universal statement about the relationship between men and women; He was making a contextual statement about a particular situation. His message is not consistent with the general message of Scripture.

I’m certainly not writing this blog, so that John MacArthur will change his mind. I am writing it so people in the north Metro will see that the biblical case for women’s ordination shines very brightly. My hope is that every church in the north Metro in 2020 will have a woman share the sermon.  For all who are reading this blog, I encourage you to ask the leadership team of your church to have a woman preach in 2020.  Who knows—perhaps the message from that female preacher will be as powerful as Hannah’s or Mary Magdalene’s or Mary’s, or the woman from Samaria.

For some churches having women preachers won’t happen until lay people make the biblical case.  If you attend a church that prohibits women preachers, I want to encourage you to make that case with your leaders.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has ordained women as pastors since 1956 when Margaret Towner was ordained.  On a personal note I can’t help but note that she graduated from Carleton College and Union Theological Seminary in New York City; the same places I received my degrees.  I know that denominations are not as important for people in choosing churches, but the reality that the PC(USA) has such a long and rich history of ordaining women is makes the case that a Presbyterian church is worth checking out.  Chain of Lakes Church frequently asks women to preach.  A week ago Sunday, October 20, Tahni Cullen preached at Chain of Lakes.  Many people with whom I spoke were helped by her message. 

Women are serving as CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, they are serving on the Supreme Court, they serve in leadership positions in all part of our culture.  And even if some believe that those leadership positions are not enough of a case for them to be preachers, the message of the Bible cements the case.  I’m sorry that some parts of the church are two thousand years behind what Jesus desired and taught.  My prayer is that every congregation can catch up to the desires of Jesus and the teaching of Scriptures.

1001 New Worshiping Communities and Vital Congregations conference

Last week I had the privilege of attending the 1001 New Worshiping Communities/Vital Congregations national conference in Kansas City.  I haven’t had the opportunity to attend this national conference before. It made sense to me to attend as I was the organizing pastor of a new church and am serving on our Presbytery’s Committee on Congregational Vitality which oversees 1001 New Worshiping Communities.

In 2012 the Presbyterian Church (USA) committed itself to creating 1001 New Worshiping Communities in ten years. The web site of 1001 New Worshiping Communities shares the vision of this initiative. https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/1001-2/

The highlight of the conference for me was a plenary session led by Rev. Dr. Gregory Ellison and a plenary session led by Rev. Becca Stevens.

Dr. Ellison is co-founder of Fearless Dialogues, an organization that specializes in creating unique spaces where unlikely partners can gather to have heartfelt dialogue about difficult subjects. His presentation was especially relevant given the racial challenges of the United States.  A simple blog can’t capture the emotional intensity of the experience.  He called the presentation a laboratory of discovery. It was a heart-felt conversation where all of us had the opportunity to talk deeply to another person. Dr. Ellision talked about seeing, hearing, and creating spaces for change. “If you can’t see the humanity of the person in front of you,” he said, “you cannot change.” He shared five fears that stifle conversation—the fear of the unknown, of strangers, of appearing ignorant, of plopping and of oppressive systems.  His presentation helped me, yet again, recognize my own privilege and appreciate how African Americans have felt invisible in American culture. The presentation ended with each of us paired with another person. We were asked to look at each other for an extended period of time and then share what we saw. I’ll remember the experience for a long time.

I wish that his books had been for sale at the conference as I would have snatched them up immediately.

Rev. Beccas Stevens’ presentation the next day was just as moving. She shared her story of creating Thistle Farms, a place that welcomes women with housing, medical care, therapy and education for two years. Many of the women who come to Thistle Farms were trafficked. Rev. Stevens shared her own story of abuse and how that ultimately inspired her to create Thistle Farms.

She shared over and over the importance of bringing our whole selves into our ministry. She shared how everyone has the opportunity to be the host of God’s story and not the hero of the story. We already have a hero who is the host for our own story.  She encouraged everyone to create rituals for justice in our congregations.  We closed by anointing each other with the oils from her farm. This anointing was more than sharing a few drops. It was lavish and extravagant dipping of parts of our bodies into these oils. I’m still carrying the smell with me.

The workshops didn’t touch me as deeply as these two presentations. I would have liked a workshop for Presbytery committees wanting to start more 1001 worshiping communities.

I enjoyed learning more about the Vital Congregations initiative within the PC(USA). The initiative has identified seven marks of vitality. They are: 1) Lifelong discipleship formation; 2) Intentional authentic evangelism; 3) Outward incarnational focus; 4) Empowering servant leadership; 5) Spirit-inspired worship; 6) Caring relationships; 7) Ecclesial health.

Vital Congregations has done a pilot project with 15 Presbyteries and is looking to start another project with an additional 15 Presbyteries.

The web site for Vital Congregations is worth a look. https://www.presbyterianmission.org/resource/vital-congregations-revitalization-initiative/

Kansas City holds a special place in my heart as I lived there for three summers and a schoolyear. The seeds to my own call to ministry were planted in that experience. I drove to my old neighborhood to see the school and church that I attended and the facility where we lived.

I also took a night to attend Wednesday night programming at Church of the Resurrection. I’ve attended their Leadership Institute for more years than I can remember. I enjoyed talking to some folks who attend the church and being inspired by their ministry.

Three full days of intense learnings!

My hometown

Last week the Washington Post published an article about my hometown, Worthington, Minnesota, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/immigrant-kids-fill-this-towns-schools-their-bus-driver-resents-the-system-that-brought-them-here/2019/09/22/861c0fb4-d321-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html.  Reading the article about my hometown prompted me to think of Bruce Springstein’s song, “My Hometown.” First, I’m amazed that the Washington Post would do an article about Worthington.  That’s very cool.  But the content is disturbing.  I’m not sure it reflects an accurate picture of what is happening in Worthington, but it leads me to ask the question, “What’s happening in my hometown?”  I think Bruce Springstein could write a song about Worthington.  Though I haven’t lived there since I graduated from college, my parents still do and I go to Worthington at least twice a year.  I pay attention and care about what’s happening there.

Worthington is a much different place compared to when I graduated from high school.  According to Census information, in 1980 the percent of non-Whites was one or two percent; in 2010 the percent of non-Whites in 2010 was 34 percent.  In thirty years the number of non-Whites has gone from about 200 to 4,000. 

The changing racial demographics of the City has garnered people’s attention. Worthington has become one flashpoint of the debate happening in the United States about Immigration.  Just last week Veena Iyer (http://www.startribune.com/immigrants-make-our-community-stronger/561470552/) and Michelle Bachmann (http://www.startribune.com/washington-post-article-shows-that-open-borders-rip-our-towns-apart/561470512/) wrote articles in the Start Tribune in response to the Washington Post story. 

Combine issues around Immigration with Race and the Washington Post and many others in the media will pay attention.   

For three weeks I’m sharing a sermon series on the topic of race at the church I serve. They can be found at: https://vimeo.com/chainoflakes. I’ve shared the story in the series how I learned about race when my parents moved for a year to Kansas City. We lived a hundred yards from the “projects.” In Kansas City I had friends for the first time in my life whose skin color was different than mine and friends who spoke a different language. It was a whole new world about which I loved learning. In my sermon yesterday I shared that in 4^th grade I went to Kansas City to learn about race while today I could learn the same lessons in my hometown.  

Change is hard and some of the quotes in Michael Miller’s article were disturbing. Don Brink and Dave Bosma were quoted in a way that made them sound like White Supremacists. Whether that is true or not I don’t know.  I’ll give both Brink and Bosma the benefit of the doubt.  However what I do know is the schools in Worthington are bursting at the seams and more space is needed. The sixth referendum for expanding the schools will be voted upon in November.  If I was living in Worthington, I would vote for it and encourage others to do the same. Quality education has always been one pathway to a better life—whether it was for the Norwegians in the 1890s, the Vietnamese in the 1970s or the Hispanics in the 2010s.

 These changes are hard because race is at the center of them.  I’ve been preaching to the people of Chain of Lakes that we are called to create an environment where race can be discussed openly and honestly. Healthy discussion without charges of racism or tinged with guilt or judgment can untie the Gordian know that race can cause. 

And I get it, the call to healthy conversations about race seems small when the issues are so large.  “Let’s talk in a healthy way” doesn’t seem to resonate when the schools are overcrowded and unaccompanied minors are arriving in large numbers.  But these short-term crises don’t need to mask the long-term issue. 

America has never been and quite frankly will never be a white country. The changing demographics of Worthington represent the changing demographics of the United States.  Until America comes to term with race and its racial history more stories about towns like Worthington will continue to be published.  It’s time to stop being “Minnesota Nice” when it comes to race and have the difficult conversations that differences in race cause.

Attending the Minnesota State Fair

This past Friday, August 30, Amy, Hannah, Hannah’s friend, Carter and I joined 209,785 others at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, known as the State Fair.  Amy & I haven’t missed a State Fair since we were married. Most times we go more than once. This year Amy & Hannah went on Opening Day while I waited until Friday for this annual celebration.

The first challenge of the Fair is where to park. We’ve done park-and-ride before, but this year we decided to drive. I dropped off the three at the gate and went searching for street parking east of the main entrance.  While I’m looked for parking I’m kept asking myself the question, “How much is my time worth?”  Parking right across Snelling is $30; parking about a quarter mile away is $20.  Do I keep looking for free parking or do I pay?

I’m basically cheap at heart, so I kept driving east until I found a free spot on Como & Midway Parkway.  It was only a mile walk.  That’s worth $20, right? Right????

How did people stay together at the Fair prior to cell phones? The app that kept the red-heads and I near each other this year was Find Friends.  All I had to do was click that app, and I could find the lovely red-heads in my life.

When we found each other we couldn’t help but sing? The Giant Sing Along is a fun place to stretch our vocal cords. Each of us found a microphone and added to the cacophony of sound at the fair. I found out later that the playlist is voted on the previous year and is on the State Fair web site.  https://www.mnstatefair.org/

Amy & I then walked to the grandstand.  I even went up the stairs to check out what was there.  While walking I thought about what would happen if the Presbytery had a stand in the grandstand or somewhere else in the fair.  A terrific way to share information, develop a list of people who might be interested in a local congregation, and have fun. 

Yesterday was Rotary Day at the Fair—along with MPR Day and many other organizations’ days. I’m part of the Blaine, Ham-Lake Rotary club. At our meeting this past Wednesday I was told about Rotary Day, so I wore my Rotary shirt. They had a stand near the grandstand—great idea for a non-profit to have a stand!—and I enjoyed talking to people at the stand.

We met-up with a high-school classmate of Amy’s and her husband and spent the rest of the day trying to stay together. Not easy when over 200,000 people have joined the party. 

During the afternoon the group, Cantus sang at the Minnesota Public Radio Booth. Their singing was divine and inspired me to go to one of their concerts this year. 

I walked over to the KFAN booth and listened to Dan Cole and Mark Rosen riff on the local sports scene.  At their stand I saw a Vikings shirt that I couldn’t help but notice. In yellow color on a purple shirt the slogan read, “54^th time’s the charm.” I’m not sure how the number 54 came up.  But I understand the sentiment.  I’ve written before about the pain of a Vikings fan—four Super Bowls, Gary Anderson, Brett Favre interception when we were in field goal range, wide left. The Minneapolis Miracle helped for a week—until we were thrashed by the Eagles. 

When I saw that shirt I thought, “I’m going to regret not purchasing that.” So for only $15 I had another shirt to wear during the fair. 

And the rest of the day I received a large number of comments from Vikings fan.

One of the best parts of the fair is running into people. My nieces met us for a bit at the Eco building. I saw some Presby pastors and kept seeing friends. Going through Facebook I saw that many others were there. With over five percent of the Metro is in one place I’m bound to run into some people I know.

Of course, we ate—and the number on the scale on Saturday affirmed how much I ate.  

Sweet corn—tasty as always

Walleye in a boat—too expensive at $9

Chicken and artichoke fajita at the Food Booth—nothing too special;

Cinammin almonds—there is no way to stop eating these once they are purchased

Stuffed Cabbage Role—thanks, honey for sharing with me!

Cheese Curds—I didn’t think I was going to have this treat I eat every year. But as I left the fair and walked by the Food Building I realized I still had $6 in my pocket. I know they aren’t good for me and would increase the number on the scale on Saturday morning. But eating cheese curds isn’t rational, right?

Thelma’s Handmade Ice Cream sandwich—A new food that I hope stays—yumm!

Key Lime Ice Cream Bar—oustanding

And plenty of water and a glass of lemonade

I’ll be taking off these pounds for at least a week. But it was worth every bite!

Other miscellaneous items about the fair. 

·       I took three surveys at the U of MN building.  One on the flu shot, one on different types of milk, and one on sex. I could have had three U of M backpacks.

·       The semi-finals amateur talent contest was delightful. I had the opportunity to watch the 12 & under division. Any kid who is 12 & under who will get in front of at least 500 people deserves applause.

·       During the evening we spent a half hour at the Midway. That was one big party of high school kids. If I was that age, this would be the place I would want to be.

I love the fair. Despite eating too much and walking 23,576 steps I’m already looking forward to next year!

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Searching for common ground on guns

Thank God there weren’t any Mass Shootings across America this past weekend after the devastation that happened in El Paso and Dayton the previous weekend.  However according to data from the Center for Disease Control, 109 people die from gun violence in the United States every day.  Add up those numbers and a person will realize that the number of people who died this past weekend from gun violence exceeded the number of people who died in the Mass Shootings in El Paso and Dayton.

My ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ.  So I’m always trying to discern the mind of Christ when it comes to any issue.  I don’t think it is a hard thing to say that if Jesus Christ came into the world today he would say that the United States needs to lessen the number of people who die from gun violence.

I don’t know what the answers are to these problems.  What I do know is we have to find common ground on the issues of gun violence. I’m not going to demonize the National Rifle Association or anyone who believes in the strictest gun control.  I’m going to listen to them and try to understand their perspective.  And then I’m going to try to find common ground.

I’ve read all sorts of helpful articles in the past week about gun violence.  Jillian Peterson and James Densley wrote an article about four commonalities of mass shooters.  http://www.startribune.com/our-data-unveiled-four-commonalities-of-mass-shooters/528626052/

The Star Tribune ran a front-page article yesterday about assault weapons.  http://www.startribune.com/modern-gun-or-weapon-of-war-carnage-heightens-scrutiny-of-popular-widely-available-assault-rifles/533008662/

I even went back to listen to a sermon that Adam Hamilton gave on guns three years ago.

https://cor.org/leawood/sermon-series/facing-issues-that-divide#d/sermon/1937/cor_l

The issue of gun violence has reached such an epidemic that I encourage everyone to listen carefully to any suggestion. 

So if we need to have better red-flag laws, let’s investigate that;

If we need better regulation of assault weapons, let’s investigate that;

If we need better resources for mental health, let’s investigate that;

If we need better research on violence in our world including the effect of video games, let’s investigate that.

Let’s investigate everything.

And then let’s tamper down the rhetoric and work hard to find common ground. Reducing gun violence is not going to happen through Social Media posts; it won’t happen by people demonizing folks who have different views.  It will happen through prayerful discernment, careful listening, intelligent decisions, and a persistent commitment to change. 

And it will happen when all of us search for common ground.

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A Tribute to Lew Hudson

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of leading the Memorial Service for Lew Hudson in Baxter. Lew was a very special man who made a beautiful impact in the world.  Below is an edited version of the sermon I shared.

I got to know Lew as I was growing up in Worthington, Minnesota.  He lived on 1937 Summit and my family lived on 1914 Summit.  Our families saw a lot of each other.  LuAnn and Cindy were babysitters for my sister and me.  They got thirty-five cents a hour and then got a raise to fifty cents a hour.  Becky would go to the bus stop with us, and Fred hung out with my sister.  The Hudsons went to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Worthington, so the connection between our families only grew.  

His sense of humor was always part of our family's relationships.  I remember one day after Halloween waking up and seeing a grave stone in our front yard.  Lew did it—and we laughed about it for a long time.

I loved seeing the pictures that LuAnn, Cindy, Becky, and Fred shared on Facebook after Lew passed.  So many of them showed Lew with his sense of humor.  Chasing a turkey in a t-shirt, shorts and boots.  Who does that?  Standing with in a top hat and a black suit with Fred holding a flag.  I don’t know this for sure but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the Bicentennial.  And just sticking out his tongue.

He was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1927.  His dad was a minister and he had two older brothers.  His dad, mom and siblings traveled around and eventually landed in eastern Iowa.  Lew went to high school in Bloomfield Iowa and attended Drake University.  And then his life changed.

One night he was walking in Des Moines and he came upon his friend, Bill.  Bill was driving a 1941 Ford Sedan.  They did what guys did in those days.  They went cruising.  They came across two women, Irma and Norma, who were at a bus stop.  They asked the two if they’d like to go for a ride.  Irma and Norma weren’t ready for that, said, "no," and got on the bus.  Lew and Bill weren’t going to be deterred that easily.  They followed the bus.  When the women got off, the two guys asked them if they wanted to go to a softball game the next night.  Irma and Norma looked at each other.  And they said, “yes.”  The next night as Lew and Bill drove to pick them up, the big question was who would go out with whom.  The two agreed that Lew would take the tall one, Irma, and Bill would take the short one, Norma.  The same conversation was going on among the girls about who would go out with whom.  Irma and Norma came to the same conclusion as Lew & Bill.  And destiny was established.  Both couples got eventually got married.  Lew and Irma were married for 69 years.

Fast forward a few years to 1960.  Lew took a job at the radio station in Worthington.  He loved being on the radio.  Eventually he became a reporter for the Worthington Daily Globe.  He joined the Presbyterian Church.  And Lew became part of the community. 

I remember the initiative that Lew established with some others in Worthington to develop a relationship with Cuero, Texas.  Worthington celebrated Turkey Day; Cuero did too.  The great gobbler gallop, a turkey race between the "fastest" turkey in each town, was born!  The trophy was the Traveling Turkey Trophy of Tumultuous Triumph.  Sounds like words that a newspaper reporter would coin.    

When I talked with Becky & Fred this past week Becky shared that for Lew family, faith, and community were most important.  Lew was able to combine faith and community in a way that honored the Presbyterian tradition.  Wherever he went Lew was involved in the community.  When he moved to Brainerd, he took the time to run for school board.  Some people in their 50’s and 60’s would be looking forward to retirement and going to the lake—especially in Brainerd.  But that wasn’t Lew.  It’s amazing to me that he served for 15 ½ years on the school board including three years as the board chair.  That is service in the Presbyterian tradition.

           

And Lew served the Presbyterian church. They were part of a group at Westminster in the late 60’s, early 70’s who saw their beloved pastor fired.  Though I was very young, I remember how painful that was for Lew, my parents, and many others.  But Lew (and others) stayed with the church despite the pain that he experienced.  He was willing to bear with people who caused him and his friends great pain.  Serving six times on the Session of the church again reveals his willingness to serve.  In most churches a term in the Presbyterian church is three years.  That is 18 years of Session meetings.  I love Session meetings, but I wouldn’t always call Session meetings the most stimulating of activity.  There was Lew—willing to serve.

           

Lew was a honorable man.  Becky shared with me that one rule he applied to life is “is it true, is it fair.”  He undoubtedly applied this rule at school board and Session meetings.  He had a deep sense of integrity and what made something right. 

           

Even with his sense of service, Lew had a sense of curiosity.  Fred shared that he played video games with him.  Can you imagine?  Most people Lew’s age look at video games as something meant for kids and something that keeps kids from doing important things like reading, spending time with family, or being in nature.  But there was Lew—with a sense of curiosity, willing to play a video game with his son.

           

He loved a good laugh.  And he was willing to share those laughs in his columns.  One year three teenagers were set to sing “We Three Kings of Orient Are” at the Christmas pageant at Westminster in Worthington.  It was a Christmas pageant, so they hadn’t practiced too much.  But there was one problem.  The three guys were were supposed to sing the song from memory.  The first guy got up.  He was a good-looking guy with a beautiful voice.  He was doing well.  But then he completely blanked on the words.  So he did what any rational person would do.  He started making up words—to “We Three Kings of Orient Are”—at a Christmas pageant.  The other two guys knew what was happening, and they couldn’t stop laughing.  The second guy got up to sing—but he couldn’t carry a tune and laughter took him away.  Then the third guy got up.  He was a more serious person.  He had complained that the group hadn’t practiced enough.  The first guy knew that this third guy was going to be upset about what had happened.  He silently prayed that this third guy would mess up.  And the third guy sang beautifully—until—his mind went blank too.  Three for three.  

           

Lew was in the audience for this “performance” of the Christmas pageant.  He loved it.  And, of course, he couldn’t help writing a column about the “three wise guys.”  Those three people will always be connected by that story.  Of course, I was one of the three.

           

God loved Lew deeply.  When the woman came to the tomb two days after the death of Jesus, they were expecting to find a dead body.  Instead as they came to the cave they found that the stone was rolled away.  They went into the cave.  The body was not there.  But an angel was.  That angel shared 17 words that can give us comfort as we think about the eternal fate of Lew.  Why do you look for the living among the dead; he is not here; he is risen.”  Jesus was raised from the dead.  Because of that resurrection we have faith that Lew is enjoying an eternal connection to God.  It’s a mystery yes.  And it’s a gift that God gave to Lew.  And a gift that God gives to all of us.  Lew opened up his gift and enjoyed a lifetime of service to his family, church & community.

           

Praise God for the resurrection of Jesus.  Praise God for the life of Lew Hudson.

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Send them Back?

I have never had someone tell me to go back to my place of birth. 

If someone did, I would hardly understand the question.  By the way I was born in Primghar, Iowa.   

But since President Trump’s failure to stop a crowd at his rally last week from shouting “send them back,”  I’ve been astonished the number of times my friends of color have said they’ve been told this phrase.   

And I’m embarrassed by my own astonishment.

For President Trump to target Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Rashida Tlaibfour, four women of color, is clearly an act of belittling a group of people based on their race.  That’s racism, and President Trump should be called out on it.

President Trump continues to target this group of four women.  He did it this morning in another tweet.  The only way he would change is when he sees it in his own self-interest.  If he thought his own political base would decrease their approval of him based on his comments, he might stop. But according to polling his approval rating among Republicans has gone up in the last week.

If the act of the crowd at President Trump’s rally wasn’t so sad it would be comical.  To actually be sent back, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would go to the Bronx; Rep. Ayanna Pressley would go to Cincinnati,, Rep. Rashida Tlaibfour would go to Detroit, and Rep. Ilhan Omar would go to Somalia.  And if the entire Congress was sent back to their place of birth five Senators and twenty-two other Representatives in addition to Rep. Ilhan Omar would go to a foreign country.  As I said above, if I went back I would go to Primghar, Iowa.

But at the baiting of President Trump the crowd didn’t ask these other people from Congress to go back to their home countries and didn’t ask anyone who was white to go back to their home countries.

The conduct of the crowd was chilling and frightening. President Trump originally said he disagreed with the chant—even though he let it go for thirteen seconds—and then he even backtracked on that statement.

Let’s be clear.  Targeting a group of people based on race is racism; targeting a group of people based on their place of birth is xenophobia. Both racism and xenophobia have no place in our culture.  They are both sins.  Every person who is human is susceptible to each. 

I’m actually less interested in calling out racism--though it has to be done--than in developing friendships with people who have a different skin color than me and people who were born in a different country than me.  I’m also committed to leading a congregation made up of many races and nationalities. 

This Sunday at Chain of Lakes Church I’ll wrap up a summer sermon series on friendship.  I'm taking the themes of friendship in the Toy Story movies, relating them to Scripture and then asking the question of what can be learned about growing in friendship.  I’ll challenge everyone present to develop friendships with people who have a different skin color and with people from a different country of birth.  I’m not naïve enough to think that these two acts can end racism, but these friendships can be an anchor for understanding in these divisive times.  

All of us need this anchor of understanding.  Especially when race is again being used to divide our country.

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I can still eat a rabbit and be a religious leader, right? Thoughts on kicking a church out over gay marriage

I spent last week traveling to Glacier National Park with my family, so didn’t have the opportunity to share my thoughts on the recent decision by the Evangelical Covenant Church  to kick out First Covenant Church in Minneapolis from the denomination and to revoke Rev. Dan Collison’s, pastor of the church, ordination in the denomination for celebrating a gay wedding in the church building. 

I hesitate to even write about another denomination's issues, but I identify myself as a pastor in the one church--one church with many denominations. So I can't help share my views as what happens in a congregation in another denomination matters to me. 

This action attracted plenty of attention as two articles in the Star Tribune each garnered almost 300 comments on the newspaper’s web site.  Those articles and comments can be found here: http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-pastor-faces-unprecedented-defrocking-because-of-lgbt-stance/511808592/   http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-pastor-and-first-covenant-church-evicted-over-lgbt-stance/511979272/

A letter written by four leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church about the decision can be found on the denomination’s web site: https://covchurch.org/news/letter-from-the-covenant-regarding-the-decisions-made-at-the-annual-meeting/

I’ve written about my beliefs about gay marriage in other parts of this blog. For those who don’t want to search through the blog, it’s worth knowing that the first wedding celebrated at Chain of Lakes was a marriage I officiated between two men—Chris Audet and Richard Garcia.

However I don’t intend to make the case in this particular blog about gay marriage. Instead I want to share my dismay that a denomination (in this case the Evangelical Covenant Church) would kick out a local congregation and revoke the ordination of a pastor over the issue of gay marriage.  To me this is an example of the excess of Subscriptionism. 

Subscriptionism—"what’s that?” you might ask.  Subscriptionism is a view that a person must subscribe to a certain set of beliefs in order to be part of a faith community or a denomination.  

In the 18^th century American Presbyterians went through a rigorous debate about Subscriptionism. The history is worth knowing. These two web sites share a preliminary introduction to that history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Dickinson_(New_Jersey) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adopting_Act_of_1729

Put briefly, in the early 18^th century Presbyterian pastors were required to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith.  Jonathan Dickinson (who later became President of Princeton) argued that this put the Westminster Confession of Faith at the same level of Scripture. He helped pass the Adapting Act of 1729 which stated that candidates for ministry had to subscribe to the Westminster standards but could declare a scruple (a modern-day description of a scruple is a dissent) to the standards.  The governing body could then decide if the scruple was allowed.

Beliefs about God matter; theology matters; humans are always going to disagree about theological beliefs.

For me an individual’s or community’s belief about gay marriage doesn’t rise to the level of whether a person or a community of people can be part of a congregation or a denomination.

As many people in the comment section in response to the Star Tribune's stories noted, the Bible can be used to affirm almost any viewpoint. I’m reading through the Bible this year using Eugene Peterson’s Message translation.  This morning I read Deuteronomy 13-18.  In these chapters I read about stoning prophets who encourage people to follow other gods; I read instructions about not eating camels, rabbits, badgers or animals with a cloven hoof; I read about how financial debts should be canceled every seven years; I read about tithing; I read about principles that leaders need to follow when they judge people.  To the best of my knowledge none of these issues are splitting apart a denomination.  Yet there they are in the Bible.  I find these six chapters of Deuteronomy interesting, a bit bizarre, but they don’t diminish my own love for the Bible and what it teaches me as a follower of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps most importantly anyone can disagree about these issues and be leaders in a faith community. 

To the best of my knowledge no one’s ordination has been revoked for eating a rabbit.

For me the teachings of the Bible become authoritative when they are consistent with the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus.

If Jesus magically walked into my house, I would bow down and worship him.  I would encourage other people to worship with me.  I highly doubt that he would refuse our worship based on our views of gay marriage.  I think some of the questions he might ask me are “Do you love me? Do you believe in me? Will you follow me?  Will you encourage others to love me and to love their neighbors as they love themselves? Will you teach others to believe in and follow me?”

At Chain of Lakes Church a person becomes a part of our congregation (we use the language of disciples and not the traditional language of members) by affirming that Jesus is Lord and Savior.  A person becomes an Elder or Deacon in the church by affirming nine constitutional questions.  The list of the questions can be found here: http://www.highlandpres.org/publications/OfficerInstallation.pdf. 

A person can believe in or be opposed to gay marriage and be part of Chain of Lakes Church.   We find our unity in saying that Jesus is Lord and Savior.  The strength of this unity is more important than other theological differences. 

My hope for the church universal is that we can continue to find strength in what unifies us and not be divided by our differences. 

I’m saddened by the actions of the Evangelical Covenant Church as I believe their action has made theological belief more important than the teachings of Jesus.

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Celebrating our faith story of being a two-church family

This past weekend, Amy, Hannah and I have reveled in the celebration we enjoyed at Hannah’s high-school graduation party.  As I shared on my own Facebook page, our hearts were full of love as we witnessed the support of hundreds of people for Hannah.  Pictures of the party can be seen on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/hmoorepaul

This blog is more than a thank-you to everyone who came to the party. It’s a story of how faith has played a role in our family.  Amy, Hannah and I couldn’t have enjoyed such a wonderful experience this past Friday night without the support of adults in the Catholic congregations and Presbyterian congregations where we've served.    

When Amy & I met 21 years ago, our faith was one part of our relationship that connected us.  As we got to know each other we would talk for long periods of time about God and the church and the role that faith played in our lives.  Except we had an issue.  Amy was Catholic who attended Pax Christi Catholic Church in Rochester; I was a Presbyterian pastor who served Community Presbyterian Church in Plainview.  I wasn’t going to change professions, and Amy had no interest in changing her religious affiliation.  As we dated and then got married, we decided to become a two-church family.  I would attend Mass on Saturday afternoons and Amy would attend worship at the Presbyterian church I served.  This arrangement continued when our family moved to the north Metro.  I participate in St. Joseph’s of the Lake Catholic Church in Lino Lakes and Amy participates in Chain of Lakes Church.

When we started our two-church participation we each agreed that our religious participation had to be voluntary.  I couldn’t manipulate Amy into attending the Presbyterian church; she couldn’t do the same to me as I attended the Catholic church. 

This voluntary agreement has always worked.  Each of us sees the church as one body made up of different parts.  I’ve often used the metaphor of faith being a path with denominations being a car that travels on the path.  Both Amy and I are interested in the success of each car that travels on the path. 

When Hannah was born people asked Amy & I where Hannah would attend church.  We shared that she would follow our lead.  Hannah would attend two churches.  And she has.  Just like us, Hannah has gone to Mass on Saturday evenings and then worship at a Presbyterian church on Sunday mornings.  

Amy & I were blessed that important dates in her faith were moments of unity and not division.  The local Catholic priest in Plainview officiated her baptism during a worship service at the Community Presbyterian church in Plainview.  Hannah received first Communion at the Catholic church.  She was confirmed at both the Catholic church and the Presbyterian church.

People will sometimes ask, “Is Hannah a Catholic or Presbyterian? She’s a Christian who travels in the Presbyterian car and the Catholic car.  Has she been confused by the different teachings of the church?  No.  In reality there is more there is more that is similar to Catholics and Presbyterians than that is different.  Has Hannah ever resisted participating in two churches?  Fortunately not.  Amy & I established the ground rules early that going to church is part of our family.  On a weekend our normal routine is to attend church at two different congregations.  This routine is so ingrained in our family's life that it would seem odd to change.    

What has made all of this church participation so beautiful is Hannah has been surrounded by adults her entire life who are interested in her.   Hannah learned at an early age that she could trust adults.  Adults were interested in her; they wanted to know what she was doing; they cared about what happened in her life; they had no “agenda” besides her own well-being.

One of the best reasons for parents to encourage their kids to participate in a local church is the interaction kids will have with adults.  In almost every faith community—and sure there are faith communities that are not healthy and where adults have acted in in inappropriate and unlawful ways—adults will take a healthy interest in youth.  Adults will build relationships with youth that will make a lasting impression. 

Our family got to celebrate these relationships this past Friday night at Hannah’s graduation party.  Some adults drove hundreds of miles to celebrate this milestone on her journey.  For this Amy and I are grateful. 

Amy & I have a daughter who has been raised by a village.  Hannah has received something in these congregations that she couldn’t have received in any other place.  She has received faith-filled, healthy interest from many adults in the Catholic church and the Presbyterian church.  This experience of healthy relationships is one of the best reasons for any adult to insist that their children participate in a congregation. 

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